This link has been bookmarked by 33 people . It was first bookmarked on 25 Mar 2008, by Michael Richards.
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26 Jun 12
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25 Jun 12
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largeramaRT @ewanmcintosh: We took quite an aggressive adoption strategy for stretching tech use and attitudes in use, in Scotland: http://t.co/C ...
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21 Feb 12
Jacques CoolSocial media, and whether or not it's adopted in any organisation, is almost entirely down to the culture of the organisation. But having a culture that doesn't match the aspirations of openness and sharing that would make social media a natural progression for the organisation does not mean that all is lost.
socialmedia community change changement éducation schools transformation systems learning management
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28 Sep 11
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27 Jul 11
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02 Mar 11
Oliver QuinlanStrategies for building online communities.
From 2007 my #blc talk on moving your district's social media policy into 21st Century: http://t.co/Cx61xYPZ #swblc12 #socialmedia #edtech
RT @ewanmcintosh: We took quite an aggressive adoption strategy for stretching tech use and attitudes in use, in Scotland: http://t.co/C ...via:packrati.us via:twitter blc swblc12 edtech fromtwitter socialmedia OnlineCommunities social_media_adoption
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01 Jan 11
Marita ThomsonSocial media, and whether or not it's adopted in any organisation, is almost entirely down to the culture of the organisation. But having a culture that doesn't match the aspirations of openness and sharing that would make social media a natural progression for the organisation does not mean that all is lost.
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04 Dec 10
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Identify key user groups
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- What are the different groups of people in the authority? Go crazy. Find as many as you think are out there.
- What needs do these people share? Group them together, find common ground.
- What are their day-to-day aims? This is not aspirational stuff, just what people are trying to get done for their day job.
- What projects are they working on together?
- What information flows between them, and how? Why do they choose to do things this way? Lack of choice or because a chinese meal is a nice way to do things?
- If they're using some social media tools, which one or two tools are they already using to make things possible?
The first step is to identify which potential user groups within the Local Authority could most benefit from using social software.
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Identify and understand key users
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Once you have identified key user groups, you need to know which users within that group are both influential and likely to be enthusiastic. Then consider how social software fits in to the context of their job, their daily working processes and the wider context of their group's goals.
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What specific problems might social software solve?
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- What are the benefits for this person?
- How can the software be simply integrated into their existing working processes?
- How does social software lower their work load, or the cognitive load associated with doing specific tasks?
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Ideally, key users will be 'supernodes' - highly connected, in contact with a lot of people on a daily basis, and heavily involved with the function of their department and the transfer of information within the group and between groups. This may not be the group executive, but could well be his PA or a direct report. Frequently, people's supernode status is not reflected by official hierarchy.
In education there are already strong links to explore: look at bringing on board alliances that are already in existence.
At this stage, where you have around 20 key users who kind of know their stuff, it's brilliant (essential, even?) to get the technical support side hooked in. Bring the IT managers in on the meetings you have about pedagogy. Get some of the educators in on meetings the IT managers have about filtering and blocking. It doesn't matter if the IT managers say 'no' immediately, or if the educationalists can't find some convincing arguments to bring the IT guys around. This is about helping people understand how others work and what might need some thought later on. For the moment, we're just using third party tools outside the 'official' network.
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Convert key users into evangelists
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- What their own needs are
- How those needs are going to be met by the software
- What the benefits are of using the software
- How they can integrate that software into their daily routines
Training in the form of short informal sessions (face-to-face or online) and ongoing on-demand support are the basics for encouraging adoption. Too much training or too formal a setting will put users off, and is usually unnecessary.
More important is that the information gathered in steps 1 and 2 are communicated to key users. They need to understand:This requires face-to-face, personalised sessions which won't happen unless this initial group of key users feel empowered and 'part' of something. That means it's a great help if more senior managers are part of this, too, and even better is when the IT managers, the 'corporate' people, are involved. This is the point where practical issues such as access might be considered. It might seem late on in the process, but with the understanding of how these technologies can help reduce workload and improve learning there is more 'ammunition' to help convince those blocking services, sites or technologies. If there are hardware or software procurement issues now might also be the time to show the benefits in relation to the cost.
The aim is to convert key users into evangelists who can then help spread usage through their own team, encouraging the people they work with to take the training and use the tool themselves. Evangelising works here because the key users are still working in an enthusiastic group of people, most of whom (s)he knows and by whom (s)he is respected. But no-one likes an evangelist - they talk a good game, but what people want is not motivation, but training. Making the switch to trainers as soon as possible will help keep things rolling along.
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This is where concrete examples or good practice where success has been met by traditional (summative assessment) standards - convince the old guard that technology can serve their aims, even if the route is different.
As more people get skilled up it might be worth considering a support wiki allow everyone to participate and contribute – a network of involvement. It's not so much that everyone will contribute, but it's healthy for growth in the community if they know they can.
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Turn evangelists into trainers
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- They understand the day-to-day needs and working processes of their colleagues far better than an external trainer can;
- They can communicate with their colleagues more easily, in the same language;
- They have the opportunity to provide effective training on a far more informal, ad hoc basis;
- Given enough support themselves, they can then support their immediate colleagues;
The advantages of having evangelist-trainers are immense:
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Support bottom-up adoption and emergent behaviours
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Training and support should not be limited to named groups, and should be made available to all users. 'Volunteers', especially, should be encouraged. The most influential people in a wiki or blog community are not those with official status but those who engage most enthusiastically. For example, wikipedia has about 90,000 registered users who have edited at least 10 times since they joined, but the majority of work is done by about 5% (4500) of these users. (Stats approx. for Nov 05.)
If people start to use social software in an unexpected, innovative, or informal manner, this should also be encouraged. If a user begins by putting their team's coffee rota on the wiki, for example, this will help them understand how the wiki works and what benefits it brings.
Management support
As well as supporting bottom-up adoption, it is beneficial for there to be top-down support, but that support has to be based on openness and transparency. Managers and team leaders must trust their staff to use the tools correctly, but they must also be forgiving if mistakes are made. There is always a learning curve associated with any new software, and some people find social software daunting because they are scared of what they perceive as a high risk of public humiliation.All this helps avoid what has traditionally happened when the 'official' or paid-up member of staff responsible moves on - there is a grassroots appreciation of how the technology can work and benefit others, a whole set of helpers and enthusiasts to fill the gap left by the original organisers, for example. If something is imposed, then it is received differently from something that is chosen.
It is important that management do not see their role as 'managing' the technology but fostering and supporting it. The difference is subtle but vital - managing too closely has been seen in the past as micro-managing or meddling. Once grassroots adoption is apparent management should, indeed, take a backseat role.
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Managers
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could
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. Lead by example
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By using the tool themselves for team- and department-wide projects, managers can encourage their colleagues to also use social software. By being active, showing subordinates how the new tools can be used, and demonstrating the benefits, manages can play a valuable role in fostering adoption.
In the software industry, this is known as 'eating your own dogfood', and it is essential in order to build trust, interest and understanding.
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. Lead by mandate
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If the manager makes clear that this new tool is to be used for a specific process or task, it can help foster adoption and encourage reluctant users to learn how to use the tools. For example, managers can mandate that all meetings be documented on a wiki, with agendas written through collaboration and minutes being published as soon as the meeting is over, or that monthly/weekly update reports be made on a blog or a wiki instead of in a Word document or by email.
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Key to leading by mandate, however, is that the manager must also lead by example. If one of his team puts a document on the wiki, but the manager comments on it by email, that gives conflicting signals to the team. Managers must be clear about which tool they expect people to use, and must use that tool themselves.
Arrive at a position where not using is more difficult than using!
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Lead by reminding
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Managers can also increase usage by reminding colleagues to use new technology instead of old, e.g. when a colleague emails with a document to be proof-read, the manager can reply with a request to put it on the wik
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Ensure there is adequate support
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Managers must accept that their staff may require support, and they must be willing to allow staff to take time out to do training. They must also ensure that they have access to ad hoc support, so that problem can be solved quickly - it is important that there is someone tasked with 'hand holding' through the initial adoption period.
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Ensure personal and business benefits reflect each other
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Management plays a key role identifying and communicating the business benefits of social software adoption. When users understand these benefits (e.g. reducing email volume, speeding up projects, improving productivity, encouraging innovation), and see that the business benefits are in line with the personal benefits, (everyone likes to get less email) they will have greater confidence that the software is worth their own investment
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25 Mar 08
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18 Oct 07
Piers Young"Social media, and whether or not it's adopted in any organisation, is almost entirely down to the culture of the organisation. "
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16 Sep 07
Yvonne MurtaghBLC07 McIntosh No.3: We're adopting! A strategy for social media in education
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15 Aug 07
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13 Aug 07
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